RADNOR, Pa. – The Cabrini men's basketball team remained unbeaten with tonight 98-79 win over the University of Scranton Royals at Nerney Field House. The No. 9 Cavaliers improve to 4-0 with their first home victory of the season.
Junior Aaron Walton-Moss stuffed the stat sheet with a career high 33 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, four steals and a crowd exciting blocked shot. In 37 minutes of action, the junior hit 14-23 from the floor, including 3-5 for three point range.
Far from a one-man team, five other players tallied at least eight points on the night. Seniors A.J. Picard and Fran Rafferty contributed 17 and 15 points, respectively, while senior Jon Miller added 15 points on 5-5 from the floor. Rookies Brennan McCann and Deryl Bagwell combined for 18 points and five steals in the win.
From the opening tip, there was a feeling this was going to be a fun game to watch. Cabrini hit its first five shots, while Scranton's first bucket came on a breakaway dunk, and the teams were off to the races. While Cabrini led most of the first half, Scranton's three point shooting kept it in the game.
The Royals connected on 7-10 from three point range in the opening 20 minute of play, including 4-4 by junior Ross Danzig. Not to be outdone, the Cavaliers hit 6-9, with two each from Walton-Moss, McCann and Rafferty. At the break, the Blue and White led 50-44, as it connected on 58.3% from the floor and forced 10 Scranton turnovers.
Cabrini continued its solid play after the halftime break, as it turned up the defense and began to pull away. The Royals connected on just 11 field goals in the second half, including five three pointers. The Blue and White turned 13 second half Scranton turnovers into 19 points as it outscored the Royals 48-35 after the break.
Cabrini's 15 steals mark the most the program has recorded since it posted 15 swipes in a 92-74 win at Lancaster Bible on January 6, 2010. McCann and Miller accounted for three steals each, while Rafferty and Bagwell tallied two each.
The Blue and White will return to action on Saturday as it travels to Aston, Pa. for Neumann University's Coaches vs. Cancer Classic. The Cavaliers will face Widener University (5-0) at 2:15 p.m. in the second three games on the day.